


Cloud Bursts and How Not to Get Drenched

by Jaehyunie_bee



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Deaf Character, M/M, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2020-05-12 19:41:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19235797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaehyunie_bee/pseuds/Jaehyunie_bee
Summary: Jaehyuns face contorted as he tried to understand what was happening. People were yelling but all Jaehyun could hear was an intense ringing before suddenly all noise just cut out. He was tempted to just allow the world to pass him by while he wallowed in self-pity however he had to live life for his sons.Johnny found it very frustrating, not being able to talk to anybody or people thinking he's incompetent for being mute. Everyone looked at him funny and stared at him, everyone except him. Jaehyun. He lived down the hall with his sons Jisung and Donghyuck who waved and smiled at Johnny every morning. They never judged him or criticised him.little did he know that as they got closer the worse the rain would get.





	1. Clear Skies ~1~

Jaehyun shifted tiredly in his bed as Jisungs little fingers tugged on his ruffled sleeve and Donghyuck jumped up and down on the end of the bed causing the blankets to form waves. Jaehyun groaned feeling the impact of Donghyuck taking a big jump to land upon his father. Jaehyun had a vibrating watch with an alarm but his kids were always first to wake him up in the early morning. Jaehyun pulled Donghyuck and Jisung into the bed, tickling, hugging and kissing them as the two young children wiggled around. Jaehyun was deaf but based on the wide smiles on their faces he could tell that they were laughing and squealing cheerfully. They were the highlight of not only his day but his life.

Jaehyun rushed them out the door as he grabbed any last random items that he thought he might need. He closed the door behind him and fumbled with his keys as he locked the door while Donghyuck and Jisung yelled to Johnny excitedly as he came out from his dark apartment. Johnny got equally as excited as the two joyous children as he saw Jaehyun turn and smile warmly when he saw Johnny walking over. The sight of the two brunette children, one 4-year-old clinging to his father's pant leg and the other 6-year-old who was jumping up and down ecstatically and their father who ruffled his light dusty brown coloured hair and adjusted his deep blue coat that fit his figure nicely which Johnny couldn't help but notice, they were his source of happiness. They were the ones who didn't label him as mute, dumb or incompetent. When he passed them every morning it was like he was in a bubble and he was normal for once.

‘Good morning’ Johnny signed as Jaehyun mirrored his hands’ movement. The two younger boys started on their way as they jumped like frogs trying to see how many steps they could skip while making their way downstairs. Jaehyun and Johnny walked down behind them laughing at how accomplished Donghyuck looked after making a huge jump down an impressive three stairs.

The apartment building wasn't the most luxurious on the block. It was an old dark brick building that was three stories high so it didn't have an elevator. The windows were hazy from age and moss was a permanent resident on the walls and around the seals of the doors and windows. It was the kind of place for people like Jaehyun and Johnny. The kind of place that had people of all sorts.

Johnny waved goodbye and got into his car. It was an ugly red muddy colour from the previous owner and he was surprised that it still ran considering the odd squealing noise it made when it started driving and the clunking noise it made when it was turned off. Apparently, not to Johnny's surprise, it decided to stop running. With a loud bang and an odd grizzle, it was dead. Johnny got out of the car and paced along the dirty concrete footpath with his hands running through his hair to relieve some of the stress. It gained a confused look from Jaehyun who had just finished buckling Jisung in and making sure Donghyuck was definitely secure in his seat, but once he looked over to Johnnys beat up car and saw the smoke that was now accumulating in its vicinity, he knew something was wrong.

‘Need a ride?’ Jaehyun signed as he giggled at the cloud where Johnny's car once was. Johnny could only nod defeatedly.

Johnny sat in the passenger seat as Jaehyun turned on the radio and Jisung and Donghyuck began singing along to the music. It seemed a little odd to Johnny that Jeahyun would turn it on even though he couldn't hear it, though Donghyuck and Jisung could and seemed to really enjoy it. As they pulled up to the school the kids got excited. They didn't dislike using sign language at home but they really enjoyed being able to speak to all their friends and learning how to say new words. Jaehyun took them inside before coming back to Johnny with a smile.

‘Coffee?’ he signed and Johnny nodded vigorously. Jaehyun started driving towards a local coffee shop that Johnny visited every morning before work and it had only just occurred to Johnny that people would stare as they walked in, when they pulled into the carpark. He wasn't sure if Jaehyun got the same kind of attention as he did but he didn't want to go in with him and give him a negative image.

The coffee shop was chic and stylish with plants surrounding the room and large black gridded windows along the exposed red brick walls. The people inside were usually university students or office workers getting their daily dose of caffeine. Johnny stuck close to Jaehyun as they walked in. he could hear swarms of whispers and see peoples disapproving side glances directed his way. However Jaehyun seemed calm and unfazed. Johnny figured he couldn't hear the whispering and probably didn't know people are looking at them anyway. Johnny felt guilty for being a magnet for bad attention and pulling it towards Jaehyun, who didn't deserve that kind of treatment. Though he noticed that Jaehyun had looked over at a couple of snobby women who had been staring aggressively and sharing obnoxious remarks, yet instead of reacting or getting anxious, he stood confidently and walked up to the counter, pointed at his order and waited for Johnny to point at his. Jaehyuns confidence was almost infectious. Johnny felt calmer as he and Jaehyun conversed about random topics such as nice books to read. Johnny tapped Jaehyuns shoulder as his name was called before they left and Johnny had the opportunity to look back at the snarky customers with a accomplished grin.

At work that day Johnny couldn't help but smile. That day he felt more confident than he had ever felt and his life seemed to have only clear skies.


	2. Chapter 2

The whole apartment started to tremble as picture frames and unsecured items shifted from their original spots. Along with the waves of motion climbing up through the building was the industrial growl and squeal of the train hurtling down the rails with star-like sparks flying through the cool night air. Trains came to and fro from the city often as the world shifted things around similar to how Johnny's pens and array of coloured pencils were no longer located on his desk but instead had rolled in the gaps between dressers or under his bed for him to search for later. As the loud thudding noise slowly pittered out into the distance, Johnny thought about Jaehyun yet again.

What was he thinking right now? was he afraid when the first train had rolled past the apartment complex? How scary does the rumble of the train feel without the sound of it chugging along at intense speeds? 

Johnny considered he was probably asleep as it was late on a weeknight. The stars outside Johnny's window mirrored the city lights like the sky was a giant lake that rippled as aeroplane fish dipped in and out of the surface. Deep grey storm clouds came in along the horizon like the mist that settled upon the water. Johnny admired the intricacy of the wide expanse above him as his feet shifted out onto the balcony, causing chilly air to nip at his skin and tousle his hair. Somewhere not too far off the bass of a slow song resounded as a soft melodic hum. Johnny would have enjoyed the silence. Some days life took on a high volume that Johnny wanted to turn off, or at least turn down. Though sometimes it was the whispers that made the most noise when repeated in Johnny's mind and majority of the time they had the most impact. Maybe Jaehyun had it easy not being able to hear. Rain began to drop lightly upon the already damp concrete, making it appear even darker than it once had, which contrasted against the bright city lights that flickered on and off. The skies tears got heavier as time went on, making everything look blurry and distraught, as if someone had jumped into the lake reflecting all the lights causing the surface to ripple and water to splash down upon the earth.

A lunar rainbow was a rare weather phenomenon where the moon's light refracted off of water droplets in the air forming a crescent shape, similar to a solar rainbow (normal rainbow, caused by the sun). Most of the time it was too hard to distinguish the different colours due to how faint the light from the moon was, so it often appeared white, but with long exposure photographs, the beautiful colours became clear. Johnny was a photographer and the sky had always caught his attention. He hoped one day he could see something as glamorous and rare as the surreal things he had read about.

As Jaehyun had laid down and closed his eyes he felt the rush of the train passing by and its headlights cut through his blinds causing fragments of light to shift across the room, making obscure silhouettes and shadows. He felt the moons light gravitational force pull him from his bed and out onto the balcony where he felt the wind curve and cave around his figure. Jaehyuns eyes adjusted as the rain began to cascade from the sky and a pillar of water flicked and whipped making drops of water fly, while it streamed from the gutter at the corner of the balconies roof. A shaky sigh escaped from his lips as he glanced back at Donghyuck and Jisung’s room that had a piece of paper with a D and a J painted on it with various bright colours taped on the door. Jaehyun loved them with his whole heart but they could be a handful at the best of times. His hands slid along the rail as the water drops that sat individually along the surface were collected between his fingers. They were cold which made his hands tingle and his fingers go numb but he didn't seem to mind it too much as drops fell from the tips of his fingers. As he pulled them away from the rail he tugged the ends of his sweater over his hands for warmth, though his pyjama pants that flew around in the wind weren't a very good source of heat.

Johnny glanced over to the balcony at the opposite end of the building as he wondered what Jaehyun would have thought of the view. He didn’t expect to see Jaehyun standing there looking almost mesmerised by the scene in front of him. Johnny hadn't noticed the various, vibrant neon lights scattered throughout the streets like the coloured pencils that were now in gaps where his hands wouldn't be able to reach. The bright fluorescent lights were far away but they were just close enough to cast light colours upon Jaehyuns face and reflect in his eyes. The moon complemented the light as it refracted and reflected off of the raindrops, looking as if the stars were falling around him. Johnny didn't want to avert his eyes from the picture in front of him but he didn’t want to lose the moment once it ended. Johnny pulled his camera out of his desk drawer and looked through the viewfinder and adjusted the lens as he focused it on Jaehyun. He was slightly hesitant as his finger on the shutter button pressed down lightly making the shutter opened to capture the photograph and then closed allowing it exposure time before showing the image on the screen. Johnny smiled at how perfectly the image came out and decided to take a couple more to get the perfect one.

As Johnny adjusted the settings and captured a few more pictures, he noticed Jaehyuns face turning towards him through the viewfinder. He couldn’t stop himself from capturing a few more photos despite being aware of Jaehyuns attention. Johnny lowered the camera with a guilty look on his face. He could feel how damp his hair had become from the moisture that laced the wind, as it stuck to his face. Jaehyun smiled lightly as he looked at Johnny. His guilty expression reminded him of when Donghyuck would get caught stealing a cookie from the jar in the pantry or when Jisung had spilt his drink all over the table and onto the floor. Although it wasn’t the same when he looked at Johnny as when he looked at his kids. 

Johnny was worried and watched as Jaehyun walked back into his room, taking one last glance at Johnny with a slight smirk. Johnny walked back into his room as well, closing the sliding door and watching for a moment as streams of water started sliding down the panes of glass. He connected his camera to his laptop and downloaded the pictures so that he could print them off later. There was a loud train horn that blasted as the building began shivering in the cold breeze yet again. Johnny smiled as he hovered his cursor over the image folder’s name;

Lunar rainbow


	3. Ball lightning

Have you ever gotten so excited that you feel like at any moment you might just burst? As if you could never be in a moment more perfect or be with anyone that could make you happier. Johnny could definitely describe it for you if you haven’t. In that moment he could only describe the feeling as a ball of lightning sitting in your stomach, making your heart pump blood through your veins at an increased rate and making your brain go fuzzy.

Johnny had felt slight anxiety bubble in his gut as he opened his front door. How would he explain to Jaehyun why he had taken pictures of him on Friday night? In his mind, he figured Jaehyun would either shrug it off and not question it or he would take offence that Johnny would take pictures of him without asking him, and then he would never talk to Johnny again and then Johnny would spiral into loneliness, buy loads of cats and slowly spiral into craziness. A small tug on Johnny’s sleeve snapped him out of his very detailed and specific run-through of the following events in his head. A green frog raincoat hood stared at him with unblinking eyes as a small “ribbit” and a giggle came from beneath the waterproof material. As Johnny slipped the hood down he saw Donghyuck’s two little almond-shaped eyes forming crescents and his big toothy grin in its accustomed place. 

“Johnny, are you going to come to my birthday party?” Donghyuck was the master at the art of puppy dog eyes and although Johnny was hesitant, he had great guilt for being so.

‘Is that alright with your dad?’ Johnny signed as he looked to Jaehyun who was looking at him with a smile that almost resembled the joy of Donghyuck’s. Instead of replying he showed a thumbs up as he waited for Johnny to agree so he could get the two boys off to school. Johnny was relieved he seemed to have forgotten the memory of Friday night that had been branded into Johnny’s brain.

“It’s at three-thirty, please, please, please, please, please, please come” Each time Donghyuck said please, it got more and more drawn out.

‘I’m working late, I won’t be able to make it. It will probably be finished by the time I get home’ Johnny signed, however the gentle smile on Jaehyuns face refused to shift from its primary position.

‘Well you can come after work, we will save you some cake’ As Jaehyun signed, his face grew brighter at the idea of Johnny coming around for birthday cake. ‘Come on, its funfetti cake’ Jaehyun convinced. Johnny was taken aback by Jaehyuns blinding smile and didn’t even think about trying to argue, too worried that what he would say could dampen Jaehyuns mood.

‘Alright’ he gave in as he began walking down the stairs with the two younger boys leading the way excitedly.

Outside the concrete was soaked in the sky’s tears, making the city seem dimmer as the concrete turned a dark grey resembling the dark clouds that swarmed overhead. Puddles settled in the crevices and dents of the imperfect pavement, forming a glossy sheen that reflected the sky. The small gumboots of the little tree frog and its smaller counterpart, a duckling jumped into the tiny oceans, causing the mirrored surface to ripple and distort the image it was reflecting. Despite summer having just arrived, the odd spring shower still poured upon the earth, leaving remnant water drops in the leaves of the freshly watered trees so that each time a strong breeze ruffled its branches, a small replication of the rain occurred. After the rain had settled, masses of people had emerged from their homes, heading off to work, similar to how insects popped out from their shelter. 

Johnny would have preferred to go and play out in the rain with Donghyuck and Jisung as he could imagine they would be doing at school, especially if Jaehyun was there. However his daydreaming was unrealistic and he knew he had a lot of work to do. Although he called himself a photographer and in his spare time he produced incredible work, his daytime job was working as a journalist. There was some photography in his job but since he was mute, his coworkers looked down on him in a way. He couldn’t ask people questions for him to write the articles and the few times he had tried using paper and a pen had been tedious ad had taken far too long. So instead he would go along with other journalists to take the photos and although it wasn’t supposed to be his job, his coworkers often brushed their work off onto him. This lead to Johnny sitting in the office typing up articles that he knew he wouldn’t be credited for. It wasn’t what he thought he would be doing with his life, and every day he had hoped, or more like dreamed that someone would see the pictures in the paper and offer him a job as a photographer of some sort. A fashion photographer was probably his ideal job. However he had been in trouble for adding too much artistic flair in his photographs before, and ever since he had never been proud or content with the work he produced for the newspaper.

When he returned home he checked his watch that showed it was quarter past six as he had left work earlier than he had planned so that he would see both of the kids before they went to sleep. He knocked on the door hoping one of the kids would hear and his heart began racing and he had to shift back and forwards on his feet to relieve some of his anxiety. As Jaehyun opened the door, Johnny noticed how Jaehyun made a slight smile before returning a slight frown to his face. Johnny walked in and saw how the whole apartment was covered in bright colourful streamers and balloons pushed against the roof, trying to fly away into the sky. Everything was tidy and untouched and when he saw Donghyuck’s frown turn into a smile at the sight of him, he felt almost guilty. It wasn’t his fault nobody showed up, but he couldn’t help but feel hurt that Donghyuck who he loved so much would have to feel so lonely.

“Johnny! I knew you would come” he giggled as he ran to Johnny giving him a big hug. As he got up close, Johnny could see the shiny gloss across his cheeks.

‘Of course I came. I couldn’t miss you turning 7, could I?’ Johnny handed over a small present and Donghyuck’s eyes sparkled. ‘Happy Birthday’

As he began tearing into the wrapping paper Jaehyun moved closer to stand next to Johnny. ‘He wouldn’t open any gifts or eat any cake until you came’ Jaehyun signed while he smiled at the way Donghyuck’s mouth gaped as he pulled out a toy robot. ‘Im really glad you came’

‘Did nobody come at all?’ Johnny questioned as Jaehyun shook his head lightly making his hair shift and shine as it fell over his eyes causing him to comb it back with his fingers. Johnny’s heart palpitated. ‘Why? I thought he had a lot of friends, they come to see him at the gate every morning’

A pained expression spread over Jaehyun’s soft features. ‘I think their parents didn’t bring them because they know I’m deaf’ A light pained smile tugged at his lips as he watched Donghyuck widely smiling each time he pressed buttons and watched the robot light up and move. ‘I’ve met most of the parents and they don’t seem to think I’m capable of taking care of my own kids, let alone theirs’ He paused for a moment to scowl ‘They could have just come and hung around for the party’ His eyes glossed over as he smiled at his children.

Johnny wanted to assure Jaehyun it wasn’t his fault but he knew too well. Sometimes life wasn’t fair and he knew that Jaehyun would get past this as he must have done multiple times before. Jaehyun started passing more gifts to Donghyuck that all had labels saying ‘From Dad, I love you’ on them. Jaehyun never hesitated to spoil his kids, whether it was with things or with unconditional love. Johnny couldn’t imagine ever questioning whether he was a good father, it didn’t take long knowing Jaehyun to tell that he loved his kids with his whole heart. 

While Donghuck opened his gifts, Jaehyun brought out four slices of cake along with other snacks, obviously not caring whether the two kids would get to sleep on time that night. The cake indeed was funfetti and was quite obviously homemade as most of the sprinkles in the cake had sunk to the bottom and the icing was very textured instead of smooth like the ones from the store. However none of them seemed to care as it was made with love and tasted as good as a store brought one, maybe even better despite its unique appearance. Playing games with them and eating snacks had made for the perfect moments. He wished he could live through those moments again and again. It made him feel light and made his blood rush like he was going to burst if he was any happier. Maybe he would have. The sparkles in their eyes were brighter than fireworks and Johnny was the brightest of them all.His favourite moment was when Jisung got so dizzy from being spun around that he ended up pinning the donkey’s tail right on top of Donghyuck’s nose.

Ever since Johnny arrived that afternoon, the house was filled with laughter and Jaehyun couldn’t be more thankful to the man he considered his friend. Johnny had only lived in the building for a little over a year but Jaehyun had clicked with him instantly. Something about him had caught Jaehyun’s attention, whether it be the good fashion sense, the tall figure or the gentle handsome features. All of it had a sort of familiarity and warmth, as if he had known Johnny forever as cliche as that sounds. He wanted to know Johnny better though. They hadn’t ever gone and done anything together as friends. Neither of them had an awful lot of experience having friends but Jaehyun guessed that talking while walking down the stairs wasn’t all friends did together. In that way, Jaehyun was thankful Johnny had come to the party since after the kids were finally put to bed, they sat at the table with steaming mugs of hot coffee and Jaehyun got distracted by the rain that made curvy streams along the glass door that lead to the balcony, eager to see which raindrops would beat the others and being mesmerized when new streams would form and collect all of the stray droplets. 

‘How was that book coming along?’ Johnny asked, pulling Jaehyun out of his trance. 

‘It’s coming, I guess’ Jaehyun’s smile wavered. Johnny knew he had been struggling with writers block for about two months now and it had really dampened Jaehyun’s mood. ‘I’ve been too busy looking through some of the new upcoming writers’ books’

Jaehyun had written and published a couple of books in previous years, one doing particularly well. However, he had to pick up a job as an editor after the profits from that book had run low. He didn’t mind as he enjoyed reading just as much as he liked writing and in his mind, it had given him more time to write his new book. However, it became a second thought when he became a single parent and he had been struggling on it for over a year at that point, even though he only let on that he was a little stuck at times. It was meant to be a romance novel of sorts. He had ideas at the start and he had started planning a few years before he started writing it.

‘Any good ones?’ Johnny questioned as he equally loved reading and Jaehyun’s suggestions had been his favourite books by far.

‘A couple, but they are more like teen fiction, so nothing I would typically choose to read. How are you doing at work?’ Jaehyun changed the subject knowing the nonsense reply he was going to get.

‘Oh, it’s good. I think some of my coworkers are really starting to warm up to me. Did you see the picture I did for the article about the old lady being saved by her dog who knew she was going to have a heart attack? I thought that was a brilliant photo’ Johnny lied straight to Jaehyun’s face and soon noticed his unconvinced expression.

‘Oh please, you’re talking complete nonsense. I can tell you wrote that article. Do you really think I wouldn’t notice? I can tell you’re writing from James’ as easy as I can tell the difference between a cat and an elephant. You shouldn’t let them push you around like that. That picture was nice and all but anyone could have taken that, I’ve seen you take at least one hundred better than that. If I thought that was your best photo, I wouldn’t have let you take my photo’ Jaehyun knew all too well what it was like for Johnny at work. He found it almost amusing that Johnny would try and tell him such lies as a small smile rested on his face.

‘Yeah. I know. But its hard, how do I fight back against that? I can’t even talk.” Johnny sighed in defeat

‘Either you publish those articles, meaning they have your name on it and you get paid for it. Or you don’t write it and watch as they scramble to write it themselves’ Jaehyun had confidence Johnny lacked, he wouldn’t have thought of either of those ideas and although he nodded he knew he wouldn’t do either.

‘Thanks, you’re a good friend worrying about me. I better head home to bed, I’m exhausted’ Jaehyun just nodded as he put the two empty mugs in the sink.

‘Alright, I will see you tomorrow. Thanks for coming, you really made Donghyuck’s day’ Jaehyun smiled genuinely as Johnny nodded and headed back to his apartment.

Johnny's heart rushed as he lay on his bed picturing that days events. He knew he had it bad for Jaehyun, but the prospect of him loving him back was a dream, just like the ones he had many times before.


End file.
